Sunflowers (Peter's Story) MXM

Part Three

Peter's chest twisted like he was ringing out a wet rag and the anxiety dripped down his body. He sat at full attention, gripping his knees as he averted from everyone's pinning gazes: Leo's furrowed brow, Delphine's twinkling eyes, James' pursed lips and Elias. Elias all together. James would begin to say something, then he'd close his mouth. Just like the rest of them, Peter didn't know what to make of this. And above all else, he could not look at Elias.

The tips of his pointy ears burned.

They sat facing each other and waited for the one person excited about all this, to come up with some ideas. Peter was at a loss. Delphine fluttered around the office for supplies. She'd open a cabinet and a puff of dust billowed out. She announced, "We'll get to the bottom of this! Don't you worry your pretty little head Peter! There's a reason for everything!"

Peter's eyes raised to the ceiling and fell back to the floor. He rubbed his sweaty hands together, a restless feeling festered inside his bobbing legs. The portal beckoned him. He could throw himself through the closet and end up back home inside his little apartment across the bridge. Groceries could be ordered online. Reyna could run The Greenhouse without him.

Peter made the mistake of glancing at Elias.

Elias' icy blue eyes sliced right through Peter. Heat trickled down his cheeks like he stuck his face inside a preheated oven. Still scowling, Elias crossed his arms into unbreakable knots. Peter finally released a tortured sigh. He looked up at James. "Can you tell him to stop staring at me?"

"He doesn't know he's doing it," James whispered, touching my shoulder. It was true. Elias couldn't see Peter. He was invisible, but only to Elias. So, Elias really was wasting his glare on an empty chair.

Elias' chin perked up. "What did he say?"

"Nothing!" Peter insisted.

James translated with an unconvincing smile. "It's nothing."

Elias' scowl sharpened. He released a huff through his nose and Peter felt like the temperature of the room went up another fifty degrees. "I hate that everyone has the upper hand. I feel like an idiot."

"Don't feel so bad," Leo chimed in, resting his cheek inside his palm. "Peter hasn't really said much. I think he's too busy trying not to vomit everywhere-"

Panic shot through Peters veins and his limbs moved on their own, shoving Leo off balance. The teen laughed and hid behind James from further punishment. Peter jumped to his feet, bursting with unnerving energy. He rubbed his hands, pacing up and down the windows.

Elias still stared at the chair.

Peter still stared at Elias.

A string wrapped around Peter's heart that was attached to Elias' heart on the other end. If Peter walked too far, the string went taught and his heart clenched. He was so aware of elias it felt like they were one person.

"Let's play with the crystal balls! Shall we?" Delphine announced, setting two crystals on James' desk, right on top of little gold stands. Delphine clutched her chair, dragging it to James' side. "Sure!" she waved her hand. "It hasn't worked before, but that was when we didn't know your soulmate was! Now-"

"Don't get ahead of yourself," James warned her, knowingly eyeing Peter. It seemed like he was the only one that could sense Peter's distress like an onlooker about to witness a semi-truck flatten Peter into a pancake.

Delphine, of course, ignored James. "But we have a lead! And I have an idea how to break this bewitchment." She tapped on her smiling ruby red lips. "What breaks all love curses?"